


Dear Brother

by SpaceProphet



Category: Lego Ninjago
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Archive warnings will apply to later chapters but not for anything nasty, Brotherly Angst, Brotherly Love, Gen, Headcanon, Hurt/Comfort, I don't know how to tag things yet so just know it focuses on their relationship, Jaya's just in the background not a main asset, No Romance, The kermit thing isn't important it just needed to be said, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Zane unironically likes kermit the frog and thats just how it is, Zane-centric story but told through the eye's of Kai, kai has a potty mouth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-09-28
Packaged: 2019-04-22 23:45:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,290
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14319702
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpaceProphet/pseuds/SpaceProphet
Summary: Something in the back of his mind told him that something wasn't right. When something goes wrong with Zane, Kai will have to delve deeper into his brothers past then he thought possible. Rated for Language.





	1. Chapter 1

The sharp clang of metal on metal and the smell of zinc filled the air. Only a split second of tense silence resounded before a smack and a sharp wine broke through it.

"Ow! What the heck, Kai! Did you just  _slap_ me in the middle of a  _sword fight_?" Kai shoved himself away from Jay, wiping the sweat from his brow and huffing.

"You were getting ornery." He stated flatly, narrowing his eyes in annoyance.

"Uh, yeah!" The other boy said, leaning heavily onto his blade and gesturing wildly. "We're sparring- that's kinda the point!"

Kai pushed his hair out of his face before smirking, swiping a foot forward and knocking Jay's blade out from underneath him. The younger ninja lost his balance, squeaking as he tumbled unceremoniously to the ground.

"Go chill out," Kai laughed, stepping over the other boy as he made his way to the ice chest to grab a drink. He sat down heavily on the bench next to the door, grabbing a towel. He popped the cap off a water bottle and took a swig before dumping the rest over his head. Kai hummed complacently, using the towel to wipe off the excess water before he could get too hot.

Somewhere off to his side he could hear Jay beginning to bother Cole and he couldn't help but chuckle. "Ten bucks says Cole decks him in under ten minutes this time." He whispered to himself, jokingly.

Kai sighed, leaning back into the wall and letting himself relax for a minute. He absentmindedly ran his fingers through his hair, feeling the static thrum through his fingers. He frowned, looking back to the lightning master as he added another plate to Cole's weights, throwing the balance off just enough for the other to take notice. Although the tension had seemed to dissipate now, Kai was still surprised at how aggressive the other had gotten during their sparring session. Jay had been irritable all morning to be honest, not that he could really blame him. It probably had to due with the lack of breakfast.

The fire ninja grimaced, placing a hand over his own half empty stomach. Cole's cooking had only been  _mostly_ inedible this morning, which was sadly an improvement. On a normal day, Cole wouldn't even be allowed in the kitchen, but today hadn't really been normal. Zane had slept in.

Kai frowned again at the thought of his brother. The nindroid had gotten hyper fixated on his father over the past few weeks.

Kai couldn't help but feel like he was slightly to blame in this situation, as he and Nya had likewise been focused on their own parents. The two of them had gone back home to Jamanakai for a few weeks before continuing the search for Wu. It seemed the team had fallen into the single minded pursuit of searching any and every lead relating to the older man.

They had lost their families father figure, but...while Kai had gained back two, Zane had lost the last parental figure he had let himself get close to. He and Nya had their parents, Jay had  _his_  parents, Cole had Lou and the Blacksmiths, and even Lloyd still had Misako. Zane, on the other hand, seemed to be shying away from any interaction with older figures, even when Misako moved in with them.

Zane had undeniably gotten himself into funk, spending any free time that wasn't spent scouring for their Sensei, or P.I.X.A.L, cooped up looking through his father's old blueprints, specifically his own. He hadn't powered down till late last night if the coffee stains in his mug were any indication. Not that caffeine did anything for him, Kai thought humorlessly. The taste, Zane had once told him, was bitter enough to keep him focused.

A sudden click snapped Kai out of his thoughts as the door was opened, an exhausted looking Zane standing dazedly against the door frame. Kai was up in an instant, making his way to the others side.

"Hey Bro, you feeling alright?" Kai asked, eyebrows knitting together in concern. Zane blinked and looked to him in confusion for a moment.

"Uh…" Zane looked awful, plain and simple. His pale hair was messy, and his clothes were rumpled, falling loosely around his shoulders from being tied improperly. Even the nindroid's eyes were off, the normally soft blue light they gave off having been reduced to a dull, nearly grey glow.

"Yes." Zane replied after much to long a pause for Kai's comfort.

"Ah, no your really not, man." Kai took in the others face uneasily. His chest knotted up as the other moved forward towards the course, almost as if he hadn't registered Kai's protest.

"Zane, just hold up a second." Kai reached forward, grabbing the others arm only to yank his hand back in surprise at the heat spreading through the thick cloth.

"Holy shit-  _Zane_." Kai spun the other around to face him, grabbing his shoulders and placing the back of his hand up against his forehead. Kai could feel the heat- which was a bad thing, considering he could stick his hand in boiling water with little to no problem.

"Zane, you're burning up."

"Am I?" Kai searched Zane's face for any hint of sarcasm but he seemed genuinely confused, dull eyes unfocused.

" _Shit_ , man…"

Before Zane had…  _gotten his new body_ , it wasn't uncommon for the nindroid to overheat after too much physical or mental exertion. Jay had explained that it was like a computer that was left running for too long; the more delicate inner workings would overheat themselves because of the strain and the power they were exerting. However, Zane's cooling system wasn't as effective as a fan. Despite being the master of ice, it was still dangerous for him to cool himself off too quickly, as if ice formed directly inside of him, the delicate wiring in his chest could be damaged.

It had always been best in these situations for Zane to go lay down somewhere and cool off gradually while he rested. Kai however, was more worried about the fact that Zane hadn't once overheated since he got his new body, as it was able to endure much,  _much_ more strain. He could feel the worry in his gut continue to twist itself up.

"Maybe you should go lay back down for awhile," He tried gently, despite the look Zane gave him.

"Nonsense Kai," Zane said almost matter of factly as he tried to pull away, something akin to annoyance flashing in his dull eyes as he was held fast. "I've gotten at least eight hours of sleep. That should suffice for one night's rest-"

"Zane, you just need to go lay down until you've cooled off, alright? Or else you'll…" Despite his admittedly fatigued figure, the nindroid didn't seem amused. Knowing that the other man wasn't going to listen to him, he decided to skip the bull and go straight to the top.

"Hey, Cole!"

The earth elemental paused, looking up from Jay, who he currently held, squirming, in a choke hold, looking irritable before he noticed Zane's disheveled appearance. Cole dropped the lightning master, who squealed in surprise, and made his way over to the pair, wiping sweat from the side of his face.

"What's going on?" He asked asked tensely.

Before Kai could speak, Zane started, "Kai is just a little over concerned is all, Cole. Now I need to get training immediately to make up for lost time."

Kai could see the way Cole's forehead creased even through the thick bangs that stuck to his damp face. Yup, he was bothered by this too.

"Well, Zane, buddy, no offence or anything but you don't look too hot right now." Jay said, walking around Cole's much broader frame to get a better look at the nindroid.

"The problem is that he' _s_   _too_  hot, Jay." Kai said, gesturing to Zane.

Cole shot him a look before mimicking his earlier actions and gently placing the back of his hand to the mechs face before pulling back with a hiss.

Cole looked back up to Zane, eye's serious.

"Zane, what will the weather be like tomorrow?"

Zane's face twisted slightly, "That's…" He clenched his eyes shut, rubbing a temple with his palm. "...not fair."

Cole looked slightly uneasy, but his tone didn't change. "I'd say that pretty fair. C'mon."

He took Zane's arm gently in his own. "You're on house arrest until you can access your weather scanners at the very least."

Zane made a noise of protest but it died out as he stumbled. Cole quickly steadied him, and he slouched onto the other ninja.

Kai made to follow them, but Cole flashed him a look.  _Go get Nya after we leave_ , he mouthed before adjusting his hold on Zane and escorting him down the hall.

As soon as they were out of earshot, Jay started talking.

"I think his Gyroscopes off. The heat probably loosened it. We'll need to re-calibrate it manually, but we won't be able to work inside of him safely until he powers down." Kai nodded, not really sure what that meant as he finished wiping himself down. Jay was doing the same next to him, although he was much less wet.

As they made their way towards Nya's quarters, Jay continued his rambling.

"I mean, safely for all three of us. Uh, Nya and me are included in that. And Zane, obviously. Safe for us because he'll be cooled down enough for us to actually touch him, and for him in case anything goes wrong, you know. Not that it will!" He added, catching the look Kai gave him. "He'll be fine, he's just a big baby when it comes to taking care of himself, you know?"

"Yeah." Kai said, knocking on his sister's door apprehensively.

"Just a minute!" Nya called, voice muffled by the thick wood of the door. "I'm changing!"

Jay's face went red next to him, turning away from the door, as if that would give her more privacy. Kai just sighed, leaning against the wall.

After a minute of muffled shuffling and thumps, Nya's door opened. She was in her new ninja gi, much to Kai's surprise. Although he had to admit, the black and blue color scheme worked a lot better then her old one. The red and blue had been a little…  _much_  on the eyes. It worked a lot better for stealth as well. He shook himself. He wasn't here to question his sisters fashion sense.

"Wow, Nya…" Jay began, dreamily. "You look really pretty."

"Aww, thanks Jay." She giggled, face flushing.

"Uh, anyways," she flushed, "what did you two need?"

"We need your technical expertise, sis." Kai cut in, nervous and impatient. "Zane went and overheated himself. Jay says his, uh, periscope is busted."

"Oh, gosh, that's awful- wait, periscope?" Nya asked, frowning.

"Gyroscope." Jay supplied helpfully. "It' helps him keep balanced."

"Ahh." Kai still wasn't entirely grasping that, but he didn't need to. "Cole brought Zane back to our bedroom to rest."

Nya nodded, rolling up her sleeves.

When they entered the room, Cole was struggling to get Zane comfortable.

Most of the nindroid's bedding had been tossed onto the floor, minus his pillows, which were being used to prop him up. By the pillowcases, it looked as if Cole had also grabbed his own.

Nya was by the others side in an instant, asking hushed questions. Jay shrugged to Kai, going in behind her and grabbing a tool box from under his bunk. Kai would have gone there as well, but he knew from experience that hanging out with a fire elemental wasn't the best for someone overheating. So instead, he hovered by the wall, watching concernedly as the two lovebirds gauged the damage. Cole made his way over to Kai, looking off put. The two stood in silence for a moment before Cole cleared his throat.

"This is my fault," He whispered to Kai. "I knew he wasn't taking care of himself, and I still-"

"We all knew, Cole." Kai hushed him, feeling just as guilty. "But it isn't anyone's fault."

"Just because I'm technically not the leader anymore doesn't mean I shouldn't be looking out for my team."

Cole looked darkly to the ground, emotions flashing through his eyes. Kai put a hand on the others shoulder, squeezing firmly. He didn't exactly know what to say to that. Cole had stepped down willingly for Lloyd to take over, but it was obvious the decision had bruised the older ninja's pride. Kai had overheard Cole confess to Zane he felt more helpless since he started taking a backseat role in the decision making, and he could tell the situation was bugging him.

"Well," Nya had walked over to them, her hands slightly red from the heat. "He's still not cool enough for us to work on him, and unfortunately, we have a deadline."

Kai raised an eyebrow and looked to Cole. The other man shrugged, turning back to Nya. She narrowed her eyes, obviously annoyed.

"You both forgot, didn't you?"

"Forgot what?" Kai asked, too tired to try to avoid the fact he and Cole were in the dog house for forgetting something important.

"Remember that charity thing at Dareths? The one we agreed to go to months ago?"

"The one we marked on the kitchen calendar and circled in red?" Jay added unhelpfully from next to Zane as he put a washcloth over the nindroid's head.

"Sorry, todays been…"

"A little off." Cole finished,putting up his hands in mock surrender. "but we can't exactly leave Zane alone on the bounty while we let the kids use us for playground equipment."

Jay wrinkled his nose. "Yeah, it doesn't sound good for a number of reasons."

"Why don't I stay with him?" Kai jumped, spinning to see Misako standing in the doorway, a tray of tea balanced in one hand. While the other held the door open.

Kai opened his mouth to respond when the tray was deposited abruptly into his arms. Misako made her way over to the nindroid, who hadn't even noticed her arrive, and held her hand an inch away from his face before frowning.

"I heard you all in one room and thought I would bring in some refreshments," she said, readjusting the towel. "I hadn't thought the occasion was this serious."

"I mean," Jay spoke up from beside her. "You could probably watch him if he was a human, but he's a  _nindroid_. That means that he doesn't work the same way.  _Internally_ , I mean. And if anything goes wrong technically, you won't be able to help."

Misako frowned. Kai couldn't help but feel bad for her. She'd lost almost her whole family in under a year, and despite her presence on the bounty, she hadn't been able to get close to anybody but Lloyd and Wu. Maybe this was her way of trying to make up for lost time?

"You could always stay behind too, Jay." Nay suggested. Kai noticed the relief flas across his face, if only for a moment. "Plus, Lloyd should be back by tonight so if you need any extra help, you'll have it."

"Yeah! That could work! Alright, Misako we're all set!"  
She smiled, her eyes crinkling up at the edges. "He will be in capable hands."

"Of course." Cole said, smiling back honestly. "Alright team. Kai and I smell awful, so it might be best if we freshened up and left early."

Kai punched him playfully in the shoulder. However, the tightness in his stomach remained... something in the back of his mind told him that something wasn't right.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha, I accidentally listed this as a one shot ^^'''  
> By the end it should have 17 chapters, but I might push it to 18 if I can't get a certain scene out of my mind/need to split a chapter in half. Anyways, enjoy everyone ^^

The soft thrum of his bike's engine reverberated through the seat, and Kai could feel his legs chafing through the thick fabric of his pants.

He shifted slightly to get more comfortable before leaning into a sharp curve in the road. Kai could feel his muscles stretch awkwardly and he winced. Cole hadn't been exaggerating when he claimed the kids would use them like playground equipment. The fire elemental knew he had spent at least half of the day with an overly attached seven year old on his shoulders, and a rambunctious set of twins latched onto his legs. It hadn't seemed like much at the time, but a few hours of the access weight left him with back pain and a limp.

Cole had teased him as he rubbed his sore shoulders, somehow undisturbed by the seven or eight kids that had used his body like a jungle gym. Nya had only given him a sympathetic look. Somehow she had gotten lucky, only having to deal with a few parents and a four year old who followed her around shyly. Kai had made a joke about she and Jay adopting her. Nya responded by slapping him upside the head, causing Cole to laugh even harder.

" _Hey, Cranky!"_  Cole's voice buzzed jovially over the comm system, " _We're pulling up soon, can you comm Jay to drop anchor? He's not picking up for me. I think he might still be irritated about breakfast. Or the headlock."_ He chuckled.

"Yeah, I'm on it." Kai laughed, although his gut clenched uncomfortably. Even though it wasn't unheard of for Jay to hold a grudge over something petty, leaving Nya on the ground all night wasn't something he could see the other doing.

The dial tone rung for a moment but no one picked up. His eyebrows narrowed.

" _Well?_ " Nya asked.

"No response."

Kai's skid his bike to a stop and hopped off, looking up warily to The Bounty.

He could hear Cole's offroader rumble in behind him, the top popping open with a puff of air.

"What do you mean, 'No response'?" Nya asked, apprehensive as Cole helped her off the steeper side of the vehicle.

"Exactly what it sounds like, sis."

The other two looked to him, matching looks of concern on their faces.

"Maybe…" Nya started, voice tense, "Maybe he's not by the comm? Like he got Zane to cool down and started without me?"

Kai's chest clenched uncomfortably.

"Yeah," Cole said appeasingly, placing a large hand on her shoulder. "No need to get worried yet." But It was pretty obvious from the way he had squared up his shoulders that he  _was_ worried. He had always tried to make himself look bigger when he was nervous.

Kai himself was 90% sure something was wrong.

"Let's just head up." Without waiting for an answer, Cole spun, the wind catching underneath him and propelling him upward. He landed on The Bounty and looked back over. Nya shot him a look from the ground.

"And how do you suggest  _I_  do that? I can't exactly-  _woah_!" Kai had quickly wrapped an arm around her waist, hoisting her up as he copied Cole's movements. The two landed solidly on the deck.

"Sorry, Nya." Cole apologized with a chuckle. "I forgot you're still learning that."

Nya huffed, rolling her eyes. Kai wasn't sure why, but airjitzu was a sensitive subject for her.

"Come on, we can make Jay bring in the vehicles himself for leaving the com unmanned." She smirked, and the three made their way towards the bedroom.

"Jay, you have to-" Kai's voice caught in his throat as the room's door was opened and he was hit with a burst of cold air.

"Jay, what did you do!" Nya squeaked, wrapping her arms around herself.

The elemental was currently elbow deep into Zanes chest, lights sparking up from where his hands would have been. He whipped his head around to face them. Kai grimaced, the tips of Jay's hair were quite literally frosted, and his lips were turning blue. "H-Hey, don't look at me like that! I left to grab a tool and when I came back, Zane was freezing himself from the inside out! I'm  _trying_ to thaw out his chest!"

Cole forced his way into the room, Kai and Nya on his heels. "What do you mean?"

Nya quickly rounded on Jay, pulling his hands out. His fingers, luckily enough, hadn't changed color.

"He's never reacted like this before." Jay whined, looking miserable.

"Where's Misako?" Cole asked, voice becoming more distressed as Zane gave a shudder from the bed.

"Right here." Kai turned to see the woman clenching a hairdryer in her hands. Her voice was calm but tense as she joined the group at Zane's side.

"We weren't sure when you were going to be back, Kai." Jay shivered. "So I asked her to get me something to help melt all this ice…!"

Kai finally moved to face Zane fully, feeling a shiver move up his spine. His face had clenched up in what was probably pain. Ice had begun to form under his eyes, slowly creeping it's way down his features. His figure was tense, and his hands twitched uneasily at his sides.

Kai reached down, touching a trembling hand to the side of Zane's cheek, not surprised at the steam that begun to roll of his face.

The nindroid muttered something under his breath, jerking away from Kai's touch.

Kai recoiled, looking panicked to Jay. "Did that  _hurt_ him?"

Jay shrugged helplessly before turning to talk to Nya in a hushed voice.

Cole's face was set, jaw clenched and brows knit tightly as he watched the nindroid. His arms were crossed, but Kai could see the slight tremor that ran up them.

Kai could feel the heat rise in his chest, heart beat picking up. Could they lose Zane again? So soon after getting him back? Kai wasn't sure any of them could handle that. Hell,  _he_ couldn't handle that!

"Kai," Misako's voice caught him. It was like a bucket of water had been poured over his head, "You didn't hurt him. He's just uncomfortable. Imagine if you went from a tundra into a desert. The shift was a little much." Kai was surprised when the older woman grabbed his hand, leading it back to Zane's face.

"Slowly this time." She murmured, "Ease him into it. Like when you were sick as a child."

Kai nodded nervously, allowing a soft, warm heat to envelop his hand. Although Zane's expression remained tight, the ice slowly began to drip off of his face.

Kai became focused on his task, slowly tracing his brothers features with his hands, Misako coming in after him with a dry washcloth. Kai became so focused he barely noticed Jay come up behind him.

"Hey, uh, Kai?" His voice was tired, and he looked almost…  _resigned_. Kai turned back to Zane, continuing onward.

"Yeah?"

"Nya and I were thinking about...uh, calling in some help?"

Kai turned back to him again, fingers hovering above Zane's metal skin. "Borg?"

Jay nodded. "It'd take him a while to get out here, but yeah. Could you continue to, you know, keep him warm?"

"Uh," Kai blinked. "Yeah. Yeah, I can do that."

"Okay, okay. Great." Jay gave him a hesitant grin before leaving the room with Nya.

"Call us if you need anything." She said, apprehensively.

Kai sighed, turning his attention to Zane's chest. Like Jay had said, ice crept it's way up his wiring, collecting over his power source. Kai felt his mouth tighten, shifting himself to look better inside. A few switches had been frosted over, and since they weren't insulated like the wires were, he was a little hesitant to mess with them, especially without Jay or Nya in the room. So instead he focused on the wires, brushing his fingertips over them. Zane's body jerked in surprise, causing Kai to hesitate again.

He could hear Cole come up behind him. Misako stood up from her spot, murmuring to the two about getting them refreshments and allowing the ninja to slide into her seat. Without a word, Cole took one of Zane's hands in his own, covering it completely. He looked to Kai, nodding his head towards Zane. Kai nodded back, running his fingers back over the wires. Zane squirmed a little, but Kai blazed on, thawing the delicate circuits.

"You know…" Cole spoke softly. "It's kind of funny."

Kai fixed the other with a glare. "How is this funny?"

"Just earlier today, we we're worried about him being too  _hot_." Cole chuckled humorlessly, giving Zane's hand a soft squeeze. "And now, we have to warm him up. I should have…"

"You should have  _what_?" Kai huffed, trying to pull the other out of his self deprecation. "Cancelled our appearance last minute at a charity event for children? What could we have done here? That we aren't doing now, at least." Kai punctuated this by freeing a jumble of wires. He groped around for a bit for the towel before Cole handed it to him. "Thanks."

"I'd do it, but I don't think my hands are the best for delicate work." Cole's laugh was hollow. Kai frowned.

"You're doing something just as important right now." Cole gave him a sullen smile, but none of the tension left him. Kai didn't think it would for a while.

They continued on in silence for a while longer before Misako came back in.

"Here." She said warmly, placing a cup of tea into Kai's hands. "You take a quick break."

Kai pulled back nervously, watching as Misako plugged in the hairdryer.

"Are you sure that's safe?" He asked, not bothering to take a drink.

"I'm assuming, Jay was going to use it earlier."

"He was also making electric arcs inside of Zane's chest."

"Logic is panic's prey." Misako smiled, turning the instrument on.

The loud noise drowned out any room for argument, and Kai sighed, taking a gulp of the tea, surprised at it's sweetness.

"Is this Hōjicha?" He asked over the blower. That would explain why it took so long to make at least. Usually Wu only brought it out for special occasions. Misako had no such qualms it seemed. She smiled, obviously pleased that he had recognized it.

"It seemed appropriate." She called back.

Cole took one hand away from Zane's and downed his glass abruptly, wincing. "That was  _really_ hot."

Kai felt a little stress bubble out of his chest as he laughed. He, of course, hadn't noticed the steam rolling off the tea. Or the heat for that matter. He finished his glass quickly, moving back over to Zane.

"Do you want another cup? It'd be a shame for it to go to waste."

"No, I don't think the hair dryer is as effective as me."

Misako nodded, clicking it off.

Kai quickly went back to his job, moving with skilled precision. Misako also picked up where she left off, wiping away the water before it could damage anything further.

Soon enough, most of the wires were free. Kai frowned as Zane's frame shook, ice reforming over the area's he'd just unthawed. The nindroid muttered again. The hand not being held by Cole clenching shut.  
"Damn…" he mumbled. "Maybe I should…?"

"You should what?" Cole's voice had taken an authoritative note, and Kai looked to him, unsure of how to put it into words.

"Well," Kai tried. "Look at his power source. That's where most of the ice is forming. Maybe if I melt that first, the rest will cool off?"

Cole was lost in thought for a moment. Zane's breath hitched and Cole flinched, drawing his hand away. Ice had begun to form on his fingertips.

"Try it." He said airily. "Just… be extremely careful."

Misako was on Cole in an instant, handing him the Teapot to hold on to. Kai knew that couldn't feel good, but he shut the others out, focusing on Zane.

"Hey, buddy." He whispered to the other. "You're gonna be fine, alright?"

Zane didn't answer, unsurprisingly.

"Here goes nothing…" Kai muttered, hovering his hand over Zane's power source. Kai watched as the ice began to melt only to re-cover the glowing disk. Kai scowled, bringing is hand in closer. Zane made a noise in discomfort, but the ice seemed to be ebbing away slowly. Kai grinned, feeling more confident now that he had made some headway. The nindroid let out a small groan, muttering to himself again.

"Stop…"

Kai felt his heart hammer painfully in his chest. "Just a little more, buddy." He whispered reassuringly, using his spare hand to stroke his brothers cheek. It's something his parents used to do when he was sick as a kid, and something he still did for Nya when she got sick. He hoped that even unconscious, Zane knew it was meant to comfort.

He amped up the heat a little more as the frost wrapped it's way back around, though Kai wasn't close to forming real flames yet.

"Father, please…" Zane pleaded weakly. Kai didn't relent. He couldn't.

"F…  _Father_!" Zane screamed, cold air bursting from his chest. Kai yelled, stumbling backwards. Cole shot up to catch him, the teapot slipping from his hands and shattering onto the floor.

"What are you doing to him!"

"Cyrus!" The man wheeled himself into the room quickly, looking furious. "When did you get her-"

"Out! All of you! Give him some space!" The inventor said, rolling up his sleeves.

"But-!"

"Out!"

Cyrus ushered them out of the room, slamming the door shut behind them.

"I…" Kai trembled. "Oh my God…what did I do?"

"K-kai," Misako stammered, looking shaken. "It's okay-"

" _What did I do?"_ He yelled, looking frantically to Cole.

"Kai, calm down." The older ninja ordered, suddenly in boss mode. "You didn't-"

"You don't know that!" Kai screeched. His heart hammered in his chest, and he began to feel queasy. "I-I could have just  _killed_ him, Cole! Oh my  _God_..." Kai began to shake.

" _Relax_." Cole demanded. "Your going to make yourself sick!"

Kai nodded uneasily. Cole took him by the arm, directing him into the living room.

Nya and Jay were at a table, looking over something that looked like blueprints, but Kai wasn't sure.

Jay turned towards them as they entered, letting out a little gasp. "Woah!"

Nya cought Kai's eye and leapt up, rushing to his side. "What happened?"

"I- "

The words got stuck in his throat. Nya didn't press him any further, leading him gently to the couch. Kai put his head into his hands, letting the world blur out. Someone sat down next to him, rubbing circles into his back, but he didn't bother to look up. He felt like he was reliving Zane's death. This time though, he wasn't screaming and yelling. He wasn't punching walls until his knuckles bled. He wasn't cursing his sensei… because he wasn't here. Kai took in a shaky breath, picking up vague bits of conversation.

He didn't bother joining in.

The door squeaked open and Kai jumped up, expecting to see Cyrus there to tell him he had killed his brother, but instead, it was Lloyd. The blond looked tired, hair and clothes windswept, deep circles under his eye.

"Hey guys." He chuckled, slipping off his coat. "I'm hom-" Lloyd stopped himself, catching their looks.  
"What's wrong?" He asked, no hesitation. Kai couldn't help the groan that escaped him as he sat back down, anxiety ramping up again.

"Son," Misako's voice was next to him as she continued to rub Kai's back, calm and firm.

"Where's Zane?" Lloyd urged after doing a headcount. No one spoke for a moment.

"He's in the back bedroom." Cyrus's voice came like a rogue wave, shaking Kai to his very core. The fire elemental shot the man a pleading look.

"And," He said reassuringly, "he will be fine."

Relief rushed through Kai's body and he leaned back into the couch, releasing a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Oh thank God!" Nya gave a shaky laugh, voicing Kai's internal, repeating monologue as she slumping onto Jay.

"What's going on?" Lloyd was looking lost, coat held tightly in his bruised hands.

Borg sighed, rolling into the room. "There was a little bit of an issue with your friends internal heating systems."

Lloyd nodded, but Kai caught a hint of confusion on his face.

"Hey uh, Borg, if you don't mind me asking," Jay looked a little apprehensive, "what exactly  _was_ wrong?"

Cyrus ran a hand through his hair, adjusting his glasses. "Well, ninja… I don't actually know."

Kai's blood went cold. "But you just said-"

"I know what's happening, not why." He confessed. "I checked through everything, including his processor. None of the systems seem off, except for a few wire's that need to be replaced from cold damage. I even ran a full systems diagnostic."  
Cyrus held up a strange looking device that Jay immediately snatched from his hands, muttering as he scanned over it.

"Oh, come on!" He cried. "Nothing's wrong? How on earth is that possible?"

Nya swiped it gently from him, eyeing whatever it showed wierily. "It looks like the only thing that's not usual is-"

"Brainwave activity." Cyrus finished for her, holding a hand out for the device back. "There is a blatant increase. From what, I'm not sure."

Nya's eyes didn't leave the screen. "These almost look like…" She let out a gasp, shoving the device into Jay's face.

"Look! What does that look like to you?"

Jay went cross eyed, "Uh, is this a trick question?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"No it's not! When was the last time we saw him do this?"

Suddenly, Jay's eyes widened. "Oh!"

"What the hell are you two talking about?" Kai's frustration burst forth, making Jay jump.

"T-the Ninjigma!" Jay explained, looking bewildered.

"Oh." Kai said, his chest tightening "So, what? Is it the Overlord again-?"

"No, no!" Nya calmed him. "It's not. We'd know. The spikes would look different."

"Ninjigma?" Borg asked, raising an eyebrow.

"It's a placeholder term." Cole supplied, leaning into the wall. "Zane created puzzles to lock away ...traumatic memories."

The earth elemental darkened at that. "That came back to bite us in the ass a bit ago. Zane ended up locking away bits of the overlord in his head. Nya found out when she was helping Zane with some memory gaps."

"So what, do we hook ourselves up to him again, or-"

"No." Cyrus's voice was hard. "Linking yourselves  _directly_ to his neural network is dangerous when he's in this state. If his processor-"

"Enough." Misako surprised everyone by speaking up, irritation radiating off of her.

"Mom?"

"Zane might be a robot-"

"Nindroid" Jay corrected.

" _Nindroid_ ," She said. "But he's still... _human_. I would like it if you all stopped talking about him like a broken toaster."

Jay opened his mouth to respond and was elbowed by Nya.

"Misako," she soothed, "we're just worried that-"

"He's  _sick_. Emotionally." Kai watched as Misako stood up.

"You said you can't  _plug_ yourselves directly into him, right now, right?"

"Y-yes." Borg stammered, obviously put off. Kai guessed he hasn't used to being talked back to."

"Then allow me to offer an alternative." She grabbed her coat off the rack, slipping it on.

"Lloyd, we're going out."

Lloyd nodded, putting his jacket back on and looking to Kai helplessly.

"We'll be back as soon as we can."

And with that, she swept out of the room.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the chill of the night air, the streets of Pathos stayed busy, people zooming from stall to stall with warm chatter. Lloyd picked his way through the streets, pulling his jacket around himself tighter. A group of children brushed by him, following a boy at the front with a lantern. Lloyd could hear them chanting the names of snacks they wanted to eat as they made their way towards the food stalls. Lloyd felt his stomach growl. He hadn't eaten anything since this afternoon, planning on eating whatever leftovers had been waiting for him on The Bounty. Part of him wanted to stop by one of the stalls and grab a quick bite, but at the pace his mom was going, he was sure he'd lose sight of her before he could even look over the menu.

"Mom, where are we going exactly?" He asked, sidestepping a little girl who had stooped down to watch ants cross the path. He felt a little silly at only asking her now that they were here, but he hadn't exactly got the chance to talk to her on the flight over. The sounds of the wind were to loud to hold a conversation.

His mother turned back to him, face serious. "We're going to see an old friend of your uncle's, she specializes in matters like these."

Lloyd nodded, but he was still lost. He had simply walked into a scene he felt he almost had no part in. In fact, there was a strange disconnect between him and the whole situation. It's not that he wasn't worried, he was just… a different kind of worried. Zane had experienced heating issues when he was younger, and it had always left Lloyd a mess. He'd sneak away from practice and sit with the older ninja for hours, telling him about his newest comics, or weird things that Kai had taught him during training. Sometimes he would practice knock knock jokes on Zane when he was a little more lucid. The nindroid would always laugh, even if he didn't understand Lloyd's jokes. Eventually, the others would find him and make him leave, but as soon as Zane was better, he'd stick to his side like glue for the rest of the day.

Part of Lloyd wanted to be there now, to tell him about the strange people he had met on his trip to The West Sea. To act like it was the same as having a cold and that his brother wasn't losing control of himself. It was easy to see the Zane of his childhood, overheated and tired but still willing to let the younger boy sit on his lap and ramble for hours on end. But that Zane was awake and that version of Lloyd didn't exist anymore.

His mother surprised him by stopping abruptly. He skid to a stop behind her. "Mom, what's…" His voice died out as he took in the store in front of them. It was old and rundown, the whole place was painted shades of orange. Bright neon signs blazed out of the windows., illuminating the name of the establishment.

_The Blind Seer - Prophecies and Concoctions._

"Is… is  _this_ the place?" He asked, watching his mom's face in the flickering lights. Her jaw was tight, her eyes set.

"Lloyd, sweetie please… let me do the talking." Without waiting for an answer, she moved forward. Lloyd followed hesitantly.

A cluster of bells above the door clinked together as they entered and Lloyd binked, trying to get used to the dull lighting. After a few seconds, he was able to make out the crowded room. It was filled to the brim with figures of all shapes and colors. Display racks were placed haphazardly around the store's small floorspace, showing off a strange assortment of trinkets. A headless statue of a woman held up scarfs in beautifully intricate patterns. Lloyd almost reached out to grab one, but something in the back of his mind told him not to.

"Misako, to what do I owe this pleasure?" A low, cold voice shocked him out of his trance, and he spun to face a person he hadn't noticed before.  
An old woman leaned across the counter lazily. Although she seemed unassuming, Lloyd felt like icy fingers had traced their way up his spine. Her thick hair was done intricately, steely silver braids falling over her shoulders and onto the counter. What looked like yarn was used ornamentally in each individual braid, and brightly colored fabrics were draped about her shoulders like shawls. Her dark, leathery hand tapped the counter in an even beat as she looked though the two of them with her milky white eyes.

 _The Blind Seer_ , Lloyd though tensely.

"Idith, I've come to seek your help." His mother said, voice tight.

"Then you've come to the wrong place, dear." Idith said, feigning sympathy. She sat up a little straighter. "You ought to know that by now."

"Idith, please." Misako said, taking a step towards the other woman. Lloyd almost stopped her, feeling off put the chill the other woman seemed to radiate, "We come seeking a boon."

Idith scowled. "Who are you to ask boons of me? I stopped associating with  _your_ kind years ago."

" _Your_  kind." Misako corrected, voice even.

The blind woman scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Truely? I do believe I renounced my heritage years ago, unless I'm somehow mistaken. In which case, take my very life if it so suits your fancy!"

Lloyd began to feel a chill overtake him as something clawed at his thoughts. He gasped, slamming down the walls of his mind as he stumbled, nearly knocking over the headless woman.

"Lloyd!" His mother cried, rushing over to his side.

If she could do that… was she a spell caster, like Clouse? Or was she...

"No need to be so rough, I'm but an old woman after all." Idith's voice cut through his thoughts. She raised an eyebrow.

"Although I am curious as to how you recognized me probing you. Most people simply chalk it up to the draft. Ha!" The older woman seemed to get a kick out of that, slapping an open palm to the counter.

"This sleepy little town is filled with fools. Which makes it perfect for me… but, I suppose I'll have to  _guess_ who my second guest is. Misako my dear, is it your hellspawn?"

"Don't speak about my son like that." His mother ground out, helping his to his feet.

Lloyd caught the corner of the other woman's mouth twitch upwards into a smirk.

"What? That's what he is, right?" Something crossed the womans face. "Unless he's not the child of Darkness' Scion."

The old woman chuckled. "Misako, I'm surprised at you!"

"Idith, I have given you full access to my mind, you  _know_ that's not true."

The old woman grimaced. "I wish you had kept  _that_ memory to yourself."

Idith went quiet for a moment, her eyes distant. Lloyd began to speak when his mother hushed him.

Idith smirked, looking for all the world like she'd won something. "Well," she chortled, "you display your reason for being here very plainly. It's been on the back of your mind since you arrived, Misako. Though I admit, I am a little surprised at you. You want me to save your little robot?"

" _Nindroid_." Lloyd cut in, eyes narrowing. He was getting tired of this woman and her endless heckling of the people he loved.

Lloyd hardly could believe the contempt in the sneer she gave him "Couldn't you simply buy another? To go through all this effort when your  _toaster_ ," Lloyd felt his mother stiffen next to him, "is obviously malfunctioning. It's simply time to upgrade! Maybe get a Borg model, I hear they're shaped like pretty girls. Not that it interests  _me_ much what shape they take."

Lloyd was fuming. Whoever this woman was, she was picking though his mother's head to find whatever would hurt her most. And he was  _infuriated_. He opened his mouth to scream at her, but his mother beat him too it.

"No matter what form he takes, he is noble. Look into me, see what he was done through my eyes. He is my family, and my son's family. Isn't that what's important to you?" Idith visibly deflated.

"We just need you to help hi-"

"Regardless of the reason, I do not toy with Elementals. At least not anymore." All of the fire had left the seer's frame. Lloyd thought that looked wrong.

"Idith…" Misako soothed, "what has passed has passed. It was years ago. You have let this haunt your life, you can't blame him forever-"

" _Watch me."_ Idith spat.

Lloyd's mother shot her a pitying glance. "Lloyd, sweetheart," she said aside,"would you give us some space?"

Lloyd nodded, glad for a way out. He felt like he had once again walked into something he had no business being a part of. He looked down, heading towards the door when the bells chimed and he ran into something warm and solid.

"I'm sorry," the voice above him chuckled, "I wasn't expecting anyone to-" The voie cut itself off as Lloyd looked up to meet his eyes. He let out a little gasp.

"N-Neuro?"

" _Lloyd?"_ The man looked incredulous, eyebrows raised in shock, mouth gaping open.

"Neuro," Idith spoke from behind the counter, face pinched. "You know this boy?"

"Uhh," Lloyd and Neuro exchanged glances. Neuro looked like he had been caught red handed. With what, Lloyd wasn't exactly sure. "Yes. We...we have met."

" _When_?" The woman pressed, eye's narrowing suspiciously.

The man looked immensely uncomfortable, eyes never leaving the older woman.

" _Neuro_ _Andya_   _Džugi_ ," Idith's voice had gotten low and dangerous. "You know better then to hide your thoughts from me when I ask for them, young man."

Young man? Neuro was easily the same age as-

Suddenly, things clicked into place in Lloyd's head.  _Oh...oh my God, Idith is Neuro's_ _ **mom**_ _._ Lloyd suddenly felt at least ten times more awkward than he already felt, which was saying a  _lot_.

Misako gestured towards the entrance, looking worn out.

Neuro took the out, grabbing Lloyd by the hand and tugging him out the door while an argument began behind them.

As soon as they were outside, the atmosphere shifted. Despite the chill of the street, Lloyd felt much warmer then he had in the shop. Neuro turned to face him, looking hesitant.

"What are you doing here? Where you looking for me?"

"What?" Lloyd held up his hands. "No no, my mom came looking for yours."

"What?  _Why_?" Neuro's bushy eyebrows knit together.

"Well-" Lloyd's stomach growled, cutting through his speech.

Neuro sighed, running a hand through his greying hair . "Are you hungry?"

"Well-"

"Come on." Neuro placed his hand on Lloyd's back, ignoring the boy's meek protests.

"Were you in the mood for anything particular?" He asked, taking out a wallet.

"N-no, you really don't have to-"

"We have time, Lloyd." The man said, laughing awkwardly. "I don't know about your mother, but mine? She'll argue for hours."

"Mine too," Lloyd admitted. The two stood in silence for a moment, and Lloyd decided to look towards the food stall he had seen the kids run to earlier.

"You in the mood for something sweet?"

"U-uh, yeah?"

Neuro smilled, steering him towards the stall. The man behind the deep frier smiled, handing them menus.

"Aye, Neuro! Who's your friend?"

"He's just a cousin come to visit." Neuro lied smoothly, giving the man a smile.

"Good, your mom needs more company!"

As the two made small talk, Lloyd looked over the menu. He guessed that this stand was popular with children. That is if the cartoony Dragon mascot and punny food names were anything to go by.

"See anything you like?"

Lloyd jumped, having zoned out. "Maybe the 'Donut-hole-shebang?'" He asked, looking to Nuero for confirmation.

"You heard the kid."

"Good choice!" The man said, getting to work almost immediately.

Within minutes, the man had handed him a kebab skewer covered in donuts.  
Lloyd stared at the treat, eye's wide. He didn't try to eat any yet, seeing as they were so hot the icing was dripping off. Neuro had grabbed himself some sort of caffeinated drink with a name too long to remember and what might have been a churro if it hadn't been so crispy.

"Come on," he said after he paid, "There's a picnic area of to the side of the Bazar."

The picnic area was nearly empty, but people still mulled about. A young couple whispered to each other while they shared a meal and the children Lloyd had seen earlier hopped from table to table, laughing loudly.

"It's been a while since I've eaten there." Neuro said, sitting down at a table. "Since my last 'cousin' came into town."

"Who was that?" Lloyd asked, finally managing to take a bite of his first donut.

"Griffin Turner was just passing through." Neuro took a sip of his drink. "But he's always 'just passing through'."

Lloyd nodded. "He'd shown up a few times at The Bounty to mess with Jay and take naps on the go."

Neuro laughed. "That sounds like something I could see him doing."

"Have you seen anyone else since the tournament?" Lloyd asked, wiping the side of his mouth with his sleeve.

"Shade managed to find my address, he's been sending me letters for a while now. My mother doesn't know who they're really from, though."

Lloyd frowned. "About that… why doesn't she, uh, 'toy with elementals'? I mean, she is one, right? A master of mind, like you?"

Neuro sighed. "Listen, Lloyd. I'll tell you my half if you tell me yours."

"What?"

"I mean I'll tell you why she won't help you if you tell me why you need her help in the first place."

Lloyd guessed that was fair enough, and it was going to come up soon enough anyways.

"Of course."

Neuro took the lid off of his drink, taking a chug. "My mother is what you might call 'jaded'. It's really no one's fault… my parents just weren't really in love. They were just young and stupid, but that's the case with a lot of people, isn't it? Soon after I was born he ran off with another woman, who just...also happened to be an elemental."

Lloyd winced. He was no stranger to relationship drama breaking people apart.

"My mother claimed that they had all betrayed her and ran off." he continued, "She raised me here and ran off anyone who came looking for her. I didn't have any contact with other elementals until I was invited to the tournament."

Neuro suddenly looked upset. " Chen told me he knew more about my father and I took the bait. But honestly, I don't feel too bad about being tricked. I met a lot of good people, like you and the ninja. It's made me feel like I'm a part of something." Neuro smiled to him, eye's warm.  
Lloyd winced, looking down as pictures of his family from just hours earlier flashed through his head. Kai, looking defeated. Jay and Nya clinging to one another for comfort. The look on Cole's face had turned Lloyds blood to ice at the time, and even now he felt a shiver move up his spine.

"Hey," Neuro said frowning. "Talk to me kid."

Lloyd took in a deep breath, trying to clear his head.

"Do you remember Zane?"

"The Master of Ice?" Neuro asked.

"What do you remember about him?"

The older man looked thoughtful for a moment before responding. "I remember he was there against his will. He was your 'prize', right?" Neuro scowled. "Chen was a dirty man."

"He was…"

Silence fell over the two of them again. Lloyd found no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't meet the others eyes. He focused instead on the kids, who had grown bored of their game and had started a new one. It looked like tag.

"I didn't get to know any of you as well as I'd like to," Neuro confessed softly. "But from what little I know of your friend, he's a good man. Kind and thoughtful for sure. A little scatter brained, but somehow focused at the same time? Maybe strange is the best way to describe him."

Lloyd agreed.

"What about him?"

Lloyd continued watching the kids. One of them tripped up, scraping her knee. Her face pinched up like she was about to cry until another girl dropped down in front of her, squishing her face between her hands and smashing their foreheads together, leaving them a laughing mess on the ground.

"Can I show you?" Lloyd asked, dropping down the walls around his mind. Neuro's eyes widened, but he took the invitation. Lloyd felt like a mist had filled his head, cold and gentle. It was so different then the rough raking feeling of claws he had felt from Idith.

He let Neuro browse to his heart's content, watching numbly as a boy joined the girls on the ground. The three of them wrestled around for a bit, mud staining their clothes and faces. The couple got up to leave, laughing to one another quietly. He could feel Neuro retreat as the mist rolled out, leaving him feeling worn.

Lloyd rubbed his head, looking up to Neuro. Determination painted the other man's features.

"Let me help." Neuro said firmly. "In place of my mother."

Lloyd let out a puff of air, feeling like a weight had been lifted.

"Would you?"

Neuro nodded, "Lloyd, I've watched my mother waste her life away in this town. I've watched as she shuts herself up, year after year...as she shuts the world  _out_. I'm in my forties now, kid!" Neuro laughed at this, but it wasn't a happy one. He sounded almost broken.

"And I lived the same way until that tournament. I didn't do anything for anyone. But I'm tired of that. I want to help. To really help someone  _else_. To become more than I've let myself become. I say this as earnestly as I can. Your friend? He made a difference in my life by dragging you into that tournament."

Lloyd wasn't sure at what point of that he'd started crying, but now he was sitting with his head in his hands, openly sobbing. He could feel the mist roll back in comfortingly, sitting near the edge of his mind in a comforting way. He could feel the relief move through his system. He needed to tell his mom-

"W-wait, what about your mom?" Lloyd asked, suddenly aware of Neuro's implications.

The older man sighed, though his demeanor didn't change. "She won't understand, but she's going to have to try."

Lloyd nodded, feeling both proud and sad for the other man.

"Let's go tell her. Well, after you finish those donuts I mean."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry if the shift in POV was strange, Lloyd just needed to be narrator for this one ;) If you guy's wanted to keep up with progress on this story, you can find updates on my new Tumblr, SpaceysPlace! Any Questions and concerns can be directed there, and I'm always up for messaging ^^ See you next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

At some point or another, Kai stopped caring about how weird it must have looked to have his hands shoved into Zane's chest. Every fifteen minutes or so, he would need to go back in and thaw the ice a bit. Cyrus had let him know that Zane's body had been overcompensating for the earlier heat and as long as some ice was still there, his body wouldn't try building it back up as quickly.

Kai yawned but quickly snapped his mouth shut. From her place on Kai's bunk, Nya raised an eyebrow.

"Should I take over for a while?" She asked. "You've been at it for hours."

"No, I'm fine." Kai said dismissively.

"It's one in the morning." Nya stared him down accusingly.

"I think all the noise the blow dryer makes stresses him out." He added.

"Yeah, it stresses me out too, but I have to use it every morning."

"Oh, ha ha, Nya, you're a riot."

"You so do not," Jay said from his place next to her as he fiddled with a device Kai didn't recognize. Not that he could recognize too many devices in the first place. "You haven't touched that hair dryer since you figured out how to dry your hair with your powers!"

Nya shoved the other playfully, but Kai could still see the tension that covered the two of them. Nya had always been extra touchy when she was stressed, and since he was currently wrist deep into his other siblings chest, he'd let Jay be that touch.

"Why don't you guys sit on Jay's bunk instead of mine?"

Nya stuck her tongue out at him.

"I was here first, Jay followed me up."

"Hey!"

Nya sniggered before deflating again, laying flat against Jay's chest with a heavy sigh.

Kai did his best to give her a reassuring smile.

A sudden knock came at the door. It was probably have been Cole with the takeout. It must have taken a while because... well, what was even open right now?

"We're back!" Came Lloyds muffled voice.

Kai felt adrenaline rush through him. He almost stood up, but remembered at the last second he was supposed to keep a steady heat going and stayed in place, allowing his sister to tumble off the bed, sprinting to the door and throwing it open.

Lloyd stood tiredly in the doorway, blonde hair sticking up at odd angles.

"We brought help."

Kai tensed as a new figure entered the room.

To his surprise he recognized the man, although he looked slightly older. It was Nuero, The Master of Mind. The other elemental had been helpful during the fiasco that was The Tournament of Elements, but Kai still wasn't entirely comfortable around him. He had gotten better about holding grudges, but the Tournament in general was a sore spot for him.

"Hey, Neuro!" Jay laughed, going to greet the older man. The two shook hands, but Kai didn't miss the confusion on Jay's face.

Kai shot Lloyd a questioning look. It's not that he didn't trust Lloyds judgement- that was far from the truth, but he had to admit he wasn't sure where his younger brother was coming from this time.

Lloyd caught his eye, looking determined. "Neuro's here to help us figure out what's going on in Zane's head. We've already gotten the go ahead from Cyrus. He says that it's the safest thing to do right now without… scrambling Zane's processor."

Nya and Jay shot each other looks, obviously uneasy. Kai didn't need to understand their technobabble to know that Lloyd had said anything else would essentially kill Zane. Kai felt the worry he had felt shift to anger. Here Lloyd was, telling him the only thing that wouldn't immediately kill their brother was the help of a near stranger who had proven distrustful before. And he hated it. There was a feeling of helplessness that had seized him, and he had never been good with feeling like he was useless in any situation.

"It will be easier for me to work without a crowd around," Neuro said, seemingly oblivious to the heat rolling off of Kai. Lloyd however sighed.

"Kai, stop puppy guarding Zane from the only person that can give us a clue to what's going on right now." He said forcefully.

"But-"

"No, Lloyd, it's fine." Neuro chuckled, "Kai can stay if he likes, Zane might need him."

Lloyd pursed his lips, clearly uncomfortable with the idea, but he gave to go ahead anyways. The others left the room, though Jay and Nya seemed uncomfortable.

Kai set his sights on Neuro. The older man smiled complacently, making his way towards the empty chair. "It's been a while, Kai. I'm sorry we had to meet under these circumstances."

Kai didn't say anything. What could he even say? Small talk didn't seem appropriate here.

Luckily, Neuro didn't seem to want to talk anymore then he already had. The older man took his seat, reaching out and gently placing his hands over Zane's temples. Kai watched then both carefully. Zane hadn't exactly looked comfortable all day, but his features seemed to tense as Neuro entered his head. The Master of Mind's face also furrowed in concern. Kai lifted his hand out of Zane's chest, slipping his hand into the others.

Silence enveloped the room for what seemed like forever to Kai, watching this stranger riffle through his brothers brain.

"Lloyd wasn't joking." Neuro had begun to look strained. "I've never felt turmoil like this… unless…"

"Unless what?" Kai's heart beat picked up nervously.

"Has your brother ever suffered from memory loss?"

Kai blinked, slightly surprised. "Well… yes. But that was years ago now."

Neuro hummed, "Well, it seems almost like he's reliving memories. I can't get a clear picture because, well, he's not getting a clear picture."

"What are you saying?"

"Lloyd told me that he's repressed trauma before, right?"

"What does that-"

"It seems he's done it before whatever it was last time, because these were buried pretty deep. There must have been a trigger somewhere in your environment to bring these back. Only they've been sealed for so long it's like he's living through them for the first time."

"So your saying what, that Zane's trying to piece together memories that he's buried in his head?"

"Something like that. Though I'm not surprised, it's fairly common for people with PTSD-"

Kai felt like his stomach had dropped.

"What?" he asked breathlessly.

Neuro looked at him confusedly before something akin to pity flashed across his features.

"Did you not know?"

Kai's hands trembled, but he squeezed Zane's hand. Thoughts raced through his head. He could almost see Zane dying again, overloading. He could see his brother curled up in that cell alone and missing parts of himself. Hell, Zane hadn't even wanted to go back to pick up P.I.X.A.L's spare parts, instead letting Kai and Skylor get them. Things started to click into place slowly, like the world's worst puzzle.

Zane avoided certain places, like Chen's Island, whenever he could. He didn't like to even go to Borg's tower anymore. He also acted almost skittish around people like Ronan or Skylor, which had been a warning sign Kai had completely ignored. Ronan in particular was a hard person for Zane to be around, though he hadn't exactly told Kai why. Zane had even stopped sleeping as much, saying he didn't need to anymore. Kai had felt like that was a load of bullshit, but hadn't called him out, because what did he know? Nothing fit in with the warm and forgiving picture of Zane he had painted in to his mind. His chest clenched uncomfortably.

"Is that what this is?" Kai managged.

"It might be." Neuro said softy. "I don't know. What I do know is that he'd having trouble sorting everything out for himself. We also have proof that this is emotional in nature, not technical. Come on-" The older man stood up, "we should go tell the others."

Kai hesitated for a moment, looking back down to Zane's prone form.

"He'll be alright for a few minutes." Neuro assured him, gesturing towards the door. Kai hesitated for a second before nodding. He gave Zane's had a soft squeeze before following Neuro out of the room.

It seemed like everyone was getting ready to eat. Cole hadn't gone through the effort of setting the table, instead ripping open the fast food bags like placemats.

"Hope your in the mood for Mickey D's, because that's what was open." He smiled in a strained way. "I also grabbed those little apple pies Lloyd likes."

"I'm not hungry." Lloyd said awkwardly, smiling in Neuro's direction.

"So doc," Jay said, not bothering to sit down to eat, just picking at the box of fries in his hand. "Did you guys figure anything out?"

Kai and Neuro tradded glances and Kai hoped Neuro was listening in to his thoughts. Don't tell them about the PTSD yet if we don't need to. It was a stupid thing to think, but Kai wanted Zane to have a chance to tell them himself when he woke up, if only to give him some sort of control in this messed up situation.

Neuro's eyes flashed in recognition before he turninged to face the room. "Well, we have a slightly better grasp of what's going on. It's definitely emotional in nature more so than technical."

Misako and Borg shared a look, the industrialist nodding in recognition.

"It seems like he's overextended his mind." Neuro lied smoothly, "My guess is that he's trying to uncover old memories he's locked away or repressed."

Cole scowled, but Kai could tell he wasn't angry. "This wouldn't be the first time he's done it."

"Lloyd did mention that." Neuro nodded. "Misako informed me that's what she thought was going on. She also mentioned what you did to fix it. Which is the second reason why I'm here."

Jay put another fry into his mouth. "Are we gonna solve more ninjigma?"

Neuro looked to Kai for clarification.

"Brain puzzles." He said simply.

"Then no, not exactly. Zane's main issues right now are the fact that he is failing to decode his own head and that he's freezing himself to overcompensate for failed heating. Which means he only needs someone who can help him with those issues to be put in his head this time around. Which means it needs to be Kai."

Kai's eyes widened, and he looked to Neuro again. "Me?"

A few hushed whispers came from Nya before Jay spoke up.

"I don't understand why you can't put us all in." Jay said, placing the fries back on the table. "I mean, wouldn't that be better?"

"Take it from a Master of Mind, Jay. Having that many people in your head is stressful and can even hurt. It'd be safer for both Zane, myself, and Kai if it were just one person."

Jay still didn't look convinced. "How is it safer for Kai?"

"Because displacing someone's consciousness is an arduous task. And if I were to mess up, I could essentially leave the people I'm messing with an empty husk." Neuro's voice had taken a chill to it.

Jay shrunk back, putting up his hands. "Okay, okay. So maybe it is safer."

"But is it safe enough?" Cole had his arms crossed, thick eyebrows furrowed.

"It takes a lot of energy, but the task is simple as long as both people are asleep."

Cole nodded, looking unsure. The team looked to Kai. "Would you be willing to try it?"

"Of course." Kai said without a second thought. He would be willing to do anything at this point.

"Then let's get to work."

Nya looked startled. "R-right now?"

"Yes, right now." Neuro gestured to Cole. "Help me move your brother into a more open area. We'll have to move some furniture around later but for now, simply moving him into the living room would be enough."

Cole stood up and followed the man out of the room. "Get the couch bed ready." He said, eye's set.

Lloyd and jay moved out of the kitchen, most likely do what Cole had asked. Kai moved to follow them when he felt a tug on his arm.

"W-"

Nya held him in a vice grip, looking pale. "Kai…" she whispered, "we haven't gone through all the options yet, maybe…?"

"Nya." He soothed, voice steadier then he felt. "Listen to me, things will be okay."

"I saw you earlier." Nya's voice had dropped further. "You don't trust him either, do you?"

"I didn't. But seeing him work with Zane… I'm ready to accept whatever help he gives us."

His sister bit her lower lip, looking lost before she surprised him, jumping up to latch her arms around his neck.

Kai let out a soft grunt, lifting her partially off the ground. "You better bring him back to us, you asshole." She murmured.

Kai smirked. "Will do."

They stood like that for a minute before Nya moved shyly away.

"C'mon." Kai said gently, moving into the living room. He saw Cole place Zane onto the open couch bed, speaking to Nuero in a hushed voice. The corner of Kai's mouth twitched up into a smile. He could recognize Cole in mom-mode from any distance.

"Are you ready?" Neuro asked, looking relieved for an out.

"Yeah." Kai looked to Zane again. "How does this work?"

The mind elemental gestured to the bed. "Just lay down right next to him and get comfortable.

Kai felt a little silly cambering onto the old spring mattress and staring at the ceiling. "What now?" He asked awkwardly.

"Now, you sleep." Before he could say another word, Neuro had placed his hands over his eyes. Kai felt like a thick fog had rolled over his whole body, sand slowly everything faded to blackness.

Kai felt like he was floating in it, suspended in his inky surroundings. He felt light and airy too, despite the chill of his limbs. Realizing it made no difference whether or not his eyes were open, he chose to shut them. They had become far too heavy anyways.

And then, a sense of belonging rushed back to him, the pressure of air squeezing down around him and chilling him to the bone. Kai let out a gasp, eye's shooting open. He took in the grey sky above him, the sound of birds echoing somewhere in the distance.

Kai sat up shakily, hearing the crunch of snow beneath him. His breath puffed out into the air once before the sense of touch was lost to him again. He was...in the birchwood forest. That shouldn't have been as surprising to him as it was, but he felt a little out of place to be honest. And very disoriented. He tried to touch the ground, but found no matter how hard he pressed, he left no indent in the snow. The chill of the land had also faded out when he had woken up. If he had to guess it was because this wasn't his head; he was there, but not really. Would Zane even be able to see him?

A small gasp came from behind him and he tensed, whipping around. Standing at the treeline was someone he never thought he'd see again… or at least not like that.

The boy was small, maybe seven or eight years old. His slender frame had been wrapped in parka, mittens gripping tightly to the bark as he peaked out from behind the treeline curiously, his icy blue eyes staring directly into Kai's.

"How…" The boy asked softly. "How long have you been dead?"


	5. Chapter 5

Kai could barely breathe. He stared down the child in front of him. Kai was painfully aware of who it was. It had been years since he'd last seen Zane like this, and somehow it seemed even more out of place now; at least before they had still been on equal footing. Now it was glaringly obvious how fragile children were. He stopped himself from thinking on the matter further. He could ignore the nindroid's odd change for now, and focus instead on the pressing thing the other had said. Did Zane think he was...that they both were  _dead_?

"I…" Kai managed to speak through the dryness in his throat. "I'm not dead. Neither are you."

The boy pursed his lips, forehead creasing. Kai watched him nervously. He was so small…  _too_ small.

"Alright." Zane said finally. "Then who are you?"

Kai was surprised for a minute before Nuero's words came back to him; Zane was reliving memories. He might not have meet Kai at whatever point of his life they were in now.

"My name's Kai." He said gently.

Zane seemed to scan over him for a moment. "Okay. My name is Zane." And with that, he turned away, making his way back into the trees.

"W-wait!" Kai cried out, stumbling up to chase after him. Kai was not just going to let his brother slip through his fingers after all he's been through today.

"Za-" Kai had to skid to a stop to avoid running into the boy, though he guessed it wouldn't matter, considering the fact he couldn't really touch anything. To his surprise, Zane had actually waited for him on the other side of the treeline.

Zane gazed at him, icy blue eyes soft. "C'mon. You can come home with me if you'd like."

"Wh-" Zane's little smile shut him up, and he watched in a stupor as the child made his way over to a little cart filled with wood.

The boy let out a tiny grunt before managing to get the cart rolling. Kai followed behind, feeling awkward.

"Do you know where you are?" Kai asked softy. He knew, of course. But would Zane have a clue?

"We're in the Birchwood forest. I live here." The statement had been said between huffs as he dragged the cart along behind him. "Where did you live?"

"I-" Kai paused. Where  _did_ you live. That partnered with his ominous question earlier made Kai come to a startling conclusion; did Zane think he was a ghost? He wouldn't blame him, after all he had just, what, appeared in the middle of a clearing from out of thin air? Hell, for all Kai knew, he could be glowing or transparent. Zane could be seeing him differently.

"I used to live in Jamanakai. But I travel now." Kai had decided to be mostly honest. Zane had always been good at picking up on lies and the last thing he wanted to do was give the the kid a reason not trust him.

"Juh-monu-kai…?" Zane had paused to take a breather, and sounded out the towns name experimentally. "I think my Yaya said she wants to move there."

"Your Yaya?"

"Mmhm." Zane let out a puff of air, adjusting his grip on the cart and continuing onward. He didn't clarify further.

"Do you want my help?" Kai asked, forgetting he couldn't exactly move anything.

"No, I got it." Zane huffed. Kai reluctantly let him. Eventually they made it to Julien's lab. Kai had to admit, it looked amazing. In the future, the lab's camouflage had worn away enough for it to stick out, but the only thing making it noticable now was how it seemed almost more full of life then the real trees.

Zane stopped and smiled up to him. "I live in this tree."

Kai smiled back awkwardly. "You sure do." Kai cringed internally. What the heck was that response?

Zane didn't seem to mind, instead wrenching the door open.

"Father! I'm home and I brought a friend!"

A dolly suddenly lifted itself up the side of the staircase. Kai watched as Zane transferred the firewood onto it.

"You're going to like my dad. He's an inventor."

Kai nodded politely. It seemed to like whatever issues Zane was having weren't apparent in this memory and Kai was left feeling like an uninvited guest who had shown up for a party a few hours too late.

Despite that, Zane gestured him inside. Kai followed him down the spiral staircase lining the tree's interior.

"My dad says it stays warm in here because it's insulated by the snow. I think that's funny." Zane said happily.

Before Kai could respond, Dr. Julien rushed into the room, shutting him up entirely. The man was  _much_ younger then he remembered. Not that that was a hard thing to grasp, it was just odd to see. The Doctor looked to be in his early thirties if Kai had to guess. His hair was a warm brown, pushed back by his goggles and sticking out at random angles. He swept forward, scooping Zane up off the floor with a laugh.

"My boy, where did you get off too? And where is this friend of yours?" At this, the doctor looked around the room. Kai waved before he could stop himself.

"He's right there." Zane said, pointing to where Kai was standing. He leaned forward conspirituality and whispered loudly to the man, "I found him in the weird place. He doesn't know he's dead yet."

Kai cringed, but Doctor Julien didn't seem phased. "Well, welcome Mr…"

"Mr. Kai." Zane supplied.

"Mr. Kai! Stay as long as you need."

Dr. Julien turned back to Zane, asking him a few questions about what Kai looked like.

Kai found it a little strange, but he supposed that considering the situation, everything was weird.

Eventually, the Doctor set Zane down. "Now, son, be nice to your new friend, alright?"

Zane nodded, running off to some other room. Kai followed him, confused. He thought the lab only had a few offshoot rooms so he wasn't entirely sure where the other was going. That is until the boy pushed back the wall, revealing another room. The metal on the wall had looked so seamless before that…Kai followed him, unsure of anything else he could do at this point.

The room was small and warmly lit, though seemed to not have anything of much interest, at least in the traditional sense of children's rooms. Everything was neat and organized, with wooden furniture in warm shades of brown. Kai caught sight of a square bookshelf filled with children's books, mostly Eyewitness from the looks of things. Though there were also a few chapter books. The walls were a stark contrast to the metal ones outside, instead covered in wood panelling. A curtain was drawn over what might have been a window if Kai wasn't so sure they were underground. A few toy cars were scattered about, but other than that there were no toys. Kai also noticed that there wasn't a bed. The whole thing seemed off for a child's room. Kai shook himself; Zane was  _not_ a child, and he never had been. Even if he looked like one now.

Kai could still recall the night Zane had confided in him for the first time in maybe years. He and Zane had been on deck late that night. Thinking back, it wasn't too long after they had been turned into kids.

"It was pretty weird being a kid again." Kai had said, sipping his tea.

Zane's face had scrunched up, and Kai felt awful.

"To be fair, it was my first time...Kai?"

"Yeah, bro?"

Kai could still see the way Zane looked at his hands, as if he was trying to see through his skin, all the way through to the metal it covered. "I feel we have failed Lloyd."

"Zane… there's nothing we could have done."

"Yes… I calculated the odds, and ran through multiple scenarios. None of them ended in our favour... in a way that let Lloyd grow up the way he was supposed to… even I got to grow up gradually."

"Really?" Kai asked, curious. "You never told me that."

Zane had looked away sheepishly. "I still had to learn how to exist. My consciousness was that of a child for years, though I suppose I must have matured faster. It was long ago, now. I had to learn walking, thinking, social norms… although I guess I never really learned that one, did I?" The nindroid almost seemed embarrassed. He got like that sometimes.

Kai had laughed, cuffing his brother on the shoulder. "And what does that matter? You're still a better person then half of the snobs who know how to walk the walk, or whatever. And more importantly then that, you're still our family. We'll get through this. And Lloyd will get through this."

Kai had always felt like he couldn't give a pep talk to save him life, but the way Zane looked at him made him feel like he had righted some wrong he didn't know existed...it was nice.

A small clunking noise snapped him out of his thoughts. This was not the time for reminiscing. Kai looked around for Zane, but the other had disappeared.

"Zane?" Kai called out apprehensively. The idea of losing sight of the other after the day he'd been having was stressful enough, but for it to actually happen was another thing.

"Yes?" The boys head poked out from behind the curtain, making kai jump.

"What are you doing back there, buddy?" Kai said gently, glad to have the other back in his sights.

Zane gestured him forward, popping back behind the curtain. Kai tried to move back the curtain, and found to his surprise he could. That is he thought he could. Zane had open it for him, pulling them back enough for Kai to slink behind them.

Oh. So  _this_ was the bed. A box bed had been built into a nook in the wall, high enough off the ground that Zane in his current size would have to hoist himself up onto it. Kai recognized it as a trick to keep out drafts, as he and his sister had lifted their beds in a similar manner one particularly bad winter.

Zane climbed up onto the bed, turning on a little light above him. It lit the nook well enough for Kai to make out a few odds and ends he hadn't before. A few books were scattered on the bed as well as the boy's coat. An odd looking stuffed animal, the species of which Kai couldn't quite place, leaned onto the pillow. It seemed most of the clutter Kai had expected was piled up on top of the sheets.

"Sorry that my dad can't see you." Zane looked almost bashful. "He doesn't have what I do."

"What do you have?" Kai asked, sitting down on the bed's edge.

"My grandpa tells me it's called a sixth sense." Zane said, scooting closer. "It lets me see and feel things other people can't. My dad says that isn't real, so he thinks you're imaginary."

Kai nodded. "And why can't he see me?"

"Because-" Zane stopped himself, pursing his lips. "Well, you'll see eventually."

Kai nodded, unsure of what to do. Kai suddenly felt a pulling on the back of his skull and winced. Zane himself looked a little off.

"I guess you've already found out…"

Kai felt like the world was slipping away from him. In desperation, he reached out for his brother but the boy bled away before he could grab him.

He yelled out in frustration, suddenly lost in the same inky blackness he had been in before. It weighed him down and scattered his thoughts, but he held tight to the thought of Zane. The the look that the other gave him…

Kai gasped, shooting up, pain shooting through his nose as his face connected with Cole's. The Earth Elemental yelped, sitting back.

"I-  _oww_ ,  _Kai_!" Cole hissed. Kai looked around frantically, ignoring the pain in his face.

Neuro caught his eye, raising a hand placatingly.

"W-why did you pull me out?" Kai spluttered, crawling closer to the Master of Mind.

"Keeping you in there for so long is strenuous… it's been quite some time since I've done this for so long…" Kai did notice the way the other seemed to sag, his shoulders slumping. Dark bags highlighted the older man's eyes. Kai frowned, though he did feel a twist of pity in his gut.

"I couldn't have been in there for more than a half an hour…"

"Half an hour?" Cole spoke up from his spot near the edge of the couch bed, rubbing his chin where Kai smashed into him. "Kai, you've been at this for two hours now."

"Two hours? How?"

"It's like a dream, Kai." Neuro explained. "Zane's mind is very slowly uncovering things. When you're in his head, you're on his time schedule."

Kai looked around the room. The sky outside had gotten brighter, and if Kai had to guess, it was early morning. Jay and Nya had taken to sharing the love seat across from where the couch bed was. Both of them were out cold, Jay's light snoring filling the room. Kai couldn't help but to notice the tightness of Nya's face. Lloyd sat leaning, exhaustedly on Misako, looking half asleep himself.

Cole seemed to be the only one who hadn't allowed himself some respite. He hovered like a mother hen around the other elementals.

"What went on in there?" He asked softly.

Kai looked to Zane. His features had loosened a bit, but Kai had know the other long enough to recognize discomfort.

"I..I'm not sure." He looked to Neuro. "Could you see…?"

Neuro nodded. "We'll talk about it later."

"Talk about what?" Cole's voice was tense, he had never sat well being out of the loop.

Kai turned to him imploringly. "I just… I need some time to process it, Cole. Can you give me that?"

Cole was giving him 'the look'; eyebrows knit together and mouth tight. A moment of uncompromising silence passed before the other sighted, deflating.

"Fine. We'll discuss it over breakfast." The other stood up, eyeing Neuro. "Misako, can you show him to Wu's room? He can use the room for the night until we get something set up."

The old woman nodded, shifting Lloyd as she stood up.

Lloyd blinked blearily before yawning. "I…"

"Go to bed," Cole chuckled, throwing Jay over one shoulder. The other murmured in his sleep but didn't wake up. "Kai, could you grab-"

"On it." Kai said, drifting anxiously away from the couch and hefting his sister up. Nya clung tightly to him in her sleep and he couldn't help the smile that formed on his lips. He hadn't babied her like this since she was little… Kai's smile faltered as his thoughts flashed back to Zane, standing in the snow, looking through him. He glanced to the other sideways before readjusting Nya in his arms and bringing her back to her bedroom.

"Hey," Cole's voice was soft and hushed, trying not to wake the girl in Kai's arms. "Go ahead and put Nya in my bunk, I'm going to sleep in the living room tonight."

Kai wanted to protest, but Cole's eyes left no room for argument.

Kai watched as Cole threw Jay almost haphazardly onto Zane's bed, draping the blanket over him with a flick of his wrist. All the while, the other snored away loudly.

"It's easier then chucking him up there. At least for him"

Kai let out a huffing laugh, sliding Nya into Cole's lower bunk. He girl snorted, rolling over to face the wall.

"Hey, Cole?" Cole stopped, his large silhouette taking up most of the light from the doorway.

"Yeah?"

"Uh… don't beat yourself up over this. Get some rest."

"Only if you do the same."

Cole shut the door behind him quietly, but the click couldn't be louder to Kai as he stood there in the dark of their bedroom.


	6. Chapter 6

Kai woke up with cotton in his mouth. He rubbed an eye before staring up at the ceiling. He didn’t need his body’s vain attempt to close his eyes again to tell him he hadn’t slept well. The image of little Zane had haunted his dreams. He had chased the boy down through the Birchwood Forest, calling after him desperately but he could never quite reach him… he sighed, slipping down the ladder. Kai winced as his feet hit the chilled wood floor. He’d had his fill of the cold. He slipped quietly out of the room, careful not to shut the door to hard, before moving towards the the living room, if only to prove to himself that Zane was still there and the proper size. 

Kai blinked in surprise as he rounded the corner. Zane was still there, looking a little more comfortable than the previous day. And Cole was… also there. Kai smiled, letting out a little sigh and watching them for a bit. The older ninja had wrapped himself around the nindroid, one arm under his head and the other over his waist. One of Cole’s thick legs had also been laced between Zane’s, hooking under his ankle. Anyone who had had the displeasure of getting bunked with Cole when away from The Bounty had to deal with his unconscious clinging, usually waking up in the middle of the night drenched in sweat and twisted uncomfortably in his grip.

Kai and Jay weren’t above waking him up to readjust, but Zane had always let him sleep, even at his own expense. Kai knew that Cole had even managed to rope Zane into napping with him once or twice in the past few weeks, if only because the summer heat had made it uncomfortable to be anywhere without AC and Cole had needed the chill. Now Kai guessed the opposite where true. The scene would have been domestic if it weren’t for that nagging thought at the back of his mind.

Kai considered lurking there a little longer but couldn’t ignore his body’s need for caffeine much longer. He sighed, pushing away from the wall and slunk into the kitchen

Kai yawned, trying to click the kitchen door closed quietly. Cole had probably slept as badly as he had, and a grumpy Cole was almost as bad as a grumpy Kai. 

The two of them together would be hell.

At least if Kai got some coffee in him, he'd stand a fighting chance of not, well, fighting. 

“Do you take cream in your coffee?”

Kai jumped, whipping around into a fighting stance before he caught sight of Neuro. The man looked as though he could have been awake for hours, his steely silver hair well-kept, his clothes pristine, but the steam rolling out of his mug told him differently. 

“Not often.” he said softly as he deflated, taking a seat as Neuro got up and got him a generous pour.. 

“Honey? You surprise me, Kai.” The older man said almost teasingly, sliding back into his seat after giving Kai’s drink a dollop of the sweet stuff. Kai took the drink gratefully, stirring the honey in and watching it dissolve absentmindedly. He was tired of thinking but he didn’t exactly have the luxury to relax.

“Neuro, we need to talk about what I saw last night.” He said finally, looking up to catch the other man’s gaze. 

Neuro was rolling his mug between his hands, so the coffee must have been cooler now.

“You don’t exactly need to explain everything to me Kai, I tried to keep your interactions as private as possible but I couldn’t exactly…” Neuro took the mug in one hand and gestured vaguely with the other, “leave your mind unattended, lest you get swept up in your brother’s memories.”

Kai nodded, taking a sip of his own drink, letting it sit in his mouth long enough to chase the dryness away. “How should I tell the others?  _ I _ don’t even know what I was seeing.”   

Neuro leaned back slightly in his chair, rubbing the back of his head and looking thoughtfully up to the ceiling. “I don’t think it’s anything to worry about. I have a few theories, but I think for now, you should just try and tell them as much of the truth as you can without mentioning the-” Neuro suddenly closed his mouth, body straightening as he looked to the door. “So do you like your coffee?” 

Kai blanched. “What?” 

Suddenly the door swung open, a very disheveled Jay entering the room with a yawn. 

“Morning, Jay.” Kai said, watching as his brother stumbled over to the counter only to fumble with the coffee maker. 

“Mornin’...” Jay mumbled. The elemental frowned as he took in the nearly empty coffee pot. 

“Aww, come on!” he whined, slumping onto the counter. “I brewed some o’ this last night so I’d just have to reheat it in the morning and now it’s all gone?”

Neuro and Kai shared a sheepish look before downing their drinks. 

Jay sighed, pouring what was left into a mug and adding way to much sugar for how much coffee he’d been able to get before joining them at the table. 

It didn’t take very long for the others to find their way into the kitchen, Cole wandering in last and taking his seat almost immediately.

“So,” Cole said, taking the glass of coffee, freshly prepared by Misako, offered to him, “we need to talk.” 

Jay frowned from his new seat on the counter. “You’ve been awake for all of three minutes, wake up a little bit first.”

Nya nodded from next to him. “At least finish your drink. We all need to be lucid for this, I think.” 

Cole frowned, and looked at his drink thoughtfully. Kai sighed in relief, hoping no one would notice. He was in no hurry to-

“Oh my God!”

The whole kitchen watched in abject horror and awe as Cole began to chug back his scalding hot coffee, face screwed up in pain, before slamming his mug down on the table. “Okay.” he said with a cough, face flushed and tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. “Now can we talk?”

“Oh my God…” Nya repeated, hand over her mouth. “Did that hurt?”

“ _ Excruciatingly _ .” Cole wheezed, turning his attention to Kai.  

Nya hopped off the counter and rushed Cole a glass of water, but no one else moved. All eyes were on him now. 

Kai sighed. So much for more time.

“What did you see?” Lloyd asked, scooting his drink discreeetly away from himself. 

Kai steeled his nerves before breaking the near silence of the kitchen. “Well, in all honesty, I’m not entirely sure what I saw.” He managed. 

“Then start at the top.” Cole pressed. 

Kai looked to Neuro, who nodded encouragingly. “Well, when Nuero put me in I kinda, uh, woke up, I guess, in Birchwood Forest.”

“Makes sense,” Jay cut in, “I mean, he grew up there. Sort of.” 

Cole shot the other a dirty look. “ _ Anyways _ ,”

“Anyways,” Kai picked up again, “ Zane found me there-”

“Is he okay?” It was Nya’s turn to break in, her hands tightening on Cole’s shoulder visibly. 

“He was fine.” Kai soothed, “A little, uh...too fine?” 

“Too fine?” Cole and Nya shared a look. 

“What the hell does that even mean?” Cole asked, gripping his cup a little tighter. 

Kai put up his hands. “Nothing bad! I think-”

“You think?” Nya said, looking irritated, “Kai, did you not ask him?”

Kai was now receiving matching glares, and had to resist the urge to groan.  

“Nya, relax! He was just a lot younger than I’m used to seeing him.”

“What?”

“He was uh, a  _ kid _ .” 

Kai winced internally as the kitchen fell silent. Why did he have to be the one to describe this? Words were not his area of expertise.

“Uh, hello? A kid?” Jay had come around to look kai in the face, expression comically confused. “Zane can’t have been a kid, Kai, he’s a nindroid. A nindroid!”

“Relax,” Neuros voice was smooth and firm, cutting into Jay’s rant before it could really start. “There’s a perfectly logical explanation for this.”

“Then I, for one, would like to hear it.” Cole said, rubbing his temples, “because nothing I’m thinking of makes any sense.”

“Jay and Cole have a point,” Lloyd said slowly, biting his lower lip and looking anywhere except at Neuro, “it doesn't make sense.”

Neuro sighed, “Well think about memories. The mind is one of the most fallible things in your body, with illnesses like depression and anxiety being overlooked and underdiagnosed.”

“So brain-ghost Zane is a baby because he’s depressed.” Jay asked, looking almost more confused than he had before.

“No.” Kai said, a little too quickly. Everyone turned to him and he swallowed back a swear. “He’s not a baby, he was probably like 7.”

“I was not saying that Zane is depressed.” Neuro said calmly, taking back the reins, “I was only attempting to show you that the mind can be tricked and altered by a number of things. Memories for example, are very easily influenced by our own perceptions of the events we’re trying to remember.”

Jay frowned. “So your saying that since Zane thought he was a kid, he’s re-imagining himself as a kindergartner in his head?” 

“I wouldn’t have put it quite so crudely, but yes.” Neuro agreed.

Kai let out a breath of relief. “Zane told me once that he still had to mature like a normal person. Maybe he really was mentally a kid at that point?” 

“Well, there could be another possibility.” Nya absentmindedly ran her hands over on of Cole’s shoulder, looking thoughtful. 

“Which is?” Lloyd asked.

“Well, Zane’s brain is a high tech piece of machinery that can recreate practically anything we ask him too.”

Jay snapped his fingers. “Like the pirates!” 

Nya nodded before paling. “Jay!”

“Pirates?” Cole glared at the other ninja, “I swear to God, if you were messing with Zane’s head for shits and giggles-”

“No, no, no,” Nya cut in, looking uncomfortable, “this was during a test in my lab. The one where you guys unlocked the first set of Ninjigma. I was just suggesting that maybe what Kai was seeing was never there in the first place.”

“What do you mean?” Kai asked, eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.

“Your sister is bringing up my second theory, actually,” Neuro chuckled, “Zane simply could be making himself new memories to fill something he deems as a gap in his life.” 

Lloyd looked to Neuro, a look of sympathy on his face, “So you’re saying Zane could be giving himself the childhood he never had?” 

Kai placed his hand on Lloyd’s shoulder, rubbing circles into it as Neuro shot the boy a pitying look. 

“It’s a possibility,” Nya said softly, “esspecally if his processor is seeing the gap as a malfunction.”

“We need to see more before we can make any conclusive decisions.” 

The conversation in the kitchen picked up, but Kai slipped out, unable to focus much longer with the thoughts swirling around in his head. He ended up perched on the arm of the couch bed, watching Zane’s chest rise and fall. 

The theories they’d given made sense, he knew that, but something still wasn’t sitting right with him, no matter how much he ran the thought around in the back of his mind. 

Zane let out a small sigh in his sleep and Kai frowned. 

“Don’t worry, buddy,” he said softly, “we’re gonna figure this thing out.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! Firstly, I need to apologize for the wait for this chapter.I feel awful for taking so long, but things were just rough for me personally. Without going into too much detail, I had a few deaths in the family, my depression and anxiety flared, and no matter how many times I messed with this chapter, it just didn't feel right to me. I'm still not 100% satisfied with how this turned out but after a little help from my beta ironing out the typo's I think it's good enough to post. I promise the next update will come in under four months this time and I'm so so sorry. Thank you for all of the support and love you've shown the story, it means the world to me and makes my day a little brighter. I hope you all have a wonderful day or night and something nice happens to you. Thank you.


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